Dragonkin
by MrsLittletall
Summary: Anor Londo's dragon slayer has a rather big secret. A secret that he has to hide every night where there is no moon in the sky. But what would happen if one day someone would see him?


Ornstein hurried to the usual place.

It was almost sundown. And today was the moonless night. Ornstein had intended to head out two hours ago, but this day his silver knights had been very demanding and bombarded him with questions until it was almost too late.

...Maybe they had started to ask themselves why their captain always vanished in the night where there was no moon in the sky.

Ornstein usually told the others, his silver knights, the other knights of Gwyn, even his master, that it was for meditation purposes. And that he wished to not be distracted while meditating.

In fact, Ornstein just feared to be seen by anyone when it happened.

He had finally reached the outer skirts of Anor Londo and with a quick glance he determined that nobody was around like usual. Ornstein worked quickly on removing his armour, neatly stacking it together. He then removed his clothes and put them alongside the armour into a bag he had brought along.

As soon as he had finished undressed, which wasn't a moment to soon, the process began.

By the gods, this did HURT every single time he experienced it. He groaned as bones shifted and muscles stretched into a form that was much larger than his usual one. A nuzzle resembling a beak formed, filled with razor sharp teeth, his arms changed into feathered wings, his nails grew longer and longer until they were claws, a tail grew and spiral horns broke through his skull.

The moment he was finished, there wasn't a knight standing there anymore, but a mighty drake from a blue colour, quietly shrieking, trying to shake off the pain from the transformation.

Ornstein picked up the bag with his clothes and armour in it with his right foot and spread the wings to fly away for the night, waiting it out on some mountaintop as usual, as he heard a voice and froze in place.

"Ornstein?"

He had been seen. And while this was bad already, what made it even worse, this was the voice of the master.

One of the most renowned dragon slayers of Anor Londo had seen him, one of the most famous dragon slayers and his student change in the very being they hunted.

Ornstein shrieked in terror and jumped off the cliff, staggering in the air before remembering to flap his wings to gain height.

"Ornstein, wait.", the master called and before Ornstein could put a distance between them, he jumped on his back.

Oh damn, this wasn't good. Without thinking Ornstein rolled over in an attempt to shake the master off his back, but when he easily grabbed on his scales and climbed back up Ornstein realized, that the master knew all the tricks of a dragon trying to get rid of a rider on his back. He was done for. The master would be easily able to slay him.

He screeched desperately and flew faster, trying to pitch the master off his back with an erratic flight pattern, something he only could consider a fruitless attempt.

"Ornstein, calm down! I am not here to hurt you!", the master screamed against the rustle of the wind.

...What? Ornstein's draconic eyes moved to look at the master on his back and...

...he hadn't brought his weapon with him.

Instead, he desperately tried to hold on to Ornstein.

Ornstein took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down and nearly spit fire instead. As he swallowed the embers that already had reached his throat, he could spot the forest around Anor Londo underneath them. The only person they would probably find there at this time of night was Artorias and Ornstein was pretty sure the wolf knight had stayed in the cathedral for today.

Ornstein headed for a clearing and landed with a loud thud where the master finally slid off him, looking rather shaken.

"...You put me through quite a wild ride.", he grinned, observing Ornstein, walking around him, taking in the whole view. Ornstein felt like curling himself in and he unwittingly complied by tucking his wings in and curling his tail around his feet.

"Why are you hiding yourself? You are... beautiful.", the master said. "So this is why you never were around on the nights of the new moon? Can you talk in this form?"

Ornstein opened his mouth: "I can.", he screeched. "In the dragon tongue."

"I can barely understand a thing you say.", the master laughed. "I guess questions have to wait for later."

Ornstein had to admit he was confused. He had never let someone see this form. He had hid himself as a dragon slayer, because who in their right mind would expect a dragonkin to be a dragon slayer? As long as he would vanish at the moonless nights and let nobody see him, he was safe.

And now, the master had seen him. One of the best dragon slayers in Anor Londo, his idol and also... his crush. Ornstein had never expected to ever enter a relationship with him. He was a prince, he was a mere knight. And a drake for twelve nights of the year. Ornstein had been content with watching the master at a distance, only being able to dream about them being together, but now...

...now the master was here, having seen his most intimate secret and he even had said that he was beautiful.

Unconfidently Ornstein folded out his wings, bowing down for the master to take a closer look.

"Are these feathers at your wings?", the master asked, stroking through them. Ornstein gasped. It had been the first time that someone had touched his wings and that had felt incredible.

"...Have I hurt you?", the master asked, concern in his voice, but a sense of wonder in his eyes.

"No.", Ornstein answered with a coo, remembering that the master wouldn't understand him and shook his large head.

"I didn't want to make you uncomfortable. May I touch you?", the master asked.

Ornstein answered by lowering his head, giving the master a huff of approval. The master raised a hand to trail it around one of Ornstein's horns first, a sensation that he could barely feel, his horns were like fingernails, but then his hand settled on Ornstein's forehead, gently stroking the spot between his eyes. Ornstein involuntarily started to purr at this motion and closed his eyes.

"You feel like a big cat.", the master teased. "No wonder that you chose a lion for your armour."

The both of them stayed silent like this for a while until the master stopped stroking him and asked: "Ornstein... would you let me ride on you? Without trying to pitch me off?"

Ornstein squeaked at this words. He only had done this because he had thought he had been done for. Never had the thought the master would be so fascinated about his drake form, that he would jump on it without even taking his weapon with him.

Ornstein bent down, lying his long neck on the ground to let the master mount him.

"Hold tight.", he growled as she spread his wings and flew up in the air, much more gracefully than before. He couldn't feel it, but he was aware that the master was holding onto his horns.

Ornstein, as a dragon slayer himself, knew perfectly which locations to avoid being seen and so the two of them glided over the forest away from Anor Londo to a mountain that was known as Arch Dragon Peak. A place were dragon worship was still actually practised. Ornstein sometimes landed there in his drake form, knowing that the people there wouldn't harm him, but with the rider on his back, who was by poor coincidence not only the heir of sunlight but a dragon slayer himself, he didn't dare to land. Instead, he soared around the mountain.

"How long did it take you to be able to fly like that?", the master said. From the corner of his eyes Ornstein could see how fascinated he was, he grinned like a little boy who just got the best birthday present of all time.

Ornstein flew farther and quicker as he realized that the master was perfectly holding himself onto him. He sometimes growled or shrieked to turn the attention of the master at some of his favourite views and one time the master asked him if he could spit fire which Ornstein happily demonstrated, earning some applause from the master.

The both of them soared through the sky almost the whole night until Ornstein could see how the morning sun glistened. Gasping, he quickly headed back to the forest, to the clearing where they had landed. He hadn't even noticed how the hours had passed as Ornstein had shown the master all the places he loved to look at from up there.

As they landed, the master hopped off his back at the transformation took place. Just like turning into a drake, turning back into his divine form hurt just as much and was accompanied by the cracks of shifting bones and muscles. After he finished, Ornstein stood there, heavily panting, his legs giving out under him.

Two strong arms caught him and Ornstein's green eyes stared in two hazel ones and a face that had a slight blush on it.

"...Is this normal?", the master asked and Ornstein realized that he was butt naked at the moment. His own face turned red as his hair and he jumped out off the master's arms and stammered: "...I.. I just don't.. don't want to buy new clothes every time.. I.., uh, ...transform."

"How about you get dressed?", the master had picked up Ornstein's back and tossed it to him, which the knight caught.

"Yes..., thank you.", Ornstein said and went behind a tree to put on some clothes, which probably had been unnecessary, because the master had already seen him in his naked glory.

As he came back, the master sat on a tree stump, looking at Ornstein with a stern look: "We need to talk."

Ornstein winced, simply murmuring a tiny: "...sorry..."

"We were agreeing to not have secrets from each other. This... is a pretty big secret."

Ornstein averted his gaze and stared at a particular interesting leaf on the ground.

"I was afraid.", he admitted. "I thought if this would be known I wouldn't be able to continue living in Anor Londo anymore. Or... worse."

"You were thinking that I wouldn't think twice to slay you, right?"

Ornstein nodded, face flushing red, even redder than before. How could he have even assumed from his master to be such kind of monster? He, who even showed compassion and respect for the slain dragons?

"It's fine. I probably would have reacted just like you in your place. And I have to admit, I haven't been honest to you too."

"What?", Ornstein looked up. The master obviously wasn't a dragonkin or he would have been forced to transform in the night, so... what could this secret of his be?

"Later. For now, let me ask a few questions.", the master came closer to Ornstein, gently led him to the stump he was sitting on and seated him down before sitting down next to him.

"How long have you been able to turn into a drake?"

"I was 11 when it first happened.", Ornstein replied. "I was probably the most confused about it. And I was a lot smaller back then. I think I was hiding in a cave in the forest until I turned back... without my clothes. To be honest, the matron of the orphanage knows about my secret. I had to eventually tell her to explain why I was gone every moonless knight. She promised to never tell anyone."

"You must have looked adorable as a little drake.", the master said, a dreamy look at his face. "Now, for the more burning question... Why did you decide to join my father's army when you are a dragonkin yourself?"

Ornstein's face felt like burning, being so close to the master. "...Because who would search a dragonkin in an army of dragon slayers...", he said. "I did it to protect myself... and also..." Ornstein took a deep breath. "Seeing what some dragons did to innocent villages made me feel ashamed to be a part of them..."

"You shouldn't. What they did doesn't have anything to do with who you are.", the master laid an arm on Ornstein's shoulder which made the dragon slayer flinch from the sudden touch. The master pulled his hand away like if he had burnt himself.

"Oh sorry, I should have asked for your consent first."

"...It's fine...", Ornstein replied. "I was just not... expecting this." Ornstein took a few deep breathes as the master laid his hand back on his shoulder, clearly it had been meant in a reassuring matter.

"...But why haven't you tried to kill me?", Ornstein asked. "You saw me transform. After all, it could have been that I had been a spy for them all along."

"Ornstein, if that would have been the case, you wouldn't have tried to fly away but would have tried to roast me on sight.", the master answered with a chuckle. "Besides, I trust you. There wasn't any reason for me to not trust you after all you have done for Anor Londo. I promise you, your secret is safe with me."

He rubbed a few circles in Ornstein's shoulder. "And to be honest, I would like to join you on your transformation nights, if you allow. Riding on a drake that didn't try to kill me has been one of the most awesome feelings in the world."

Ornstein couldn't help but grin about the master's words. It felt truly good. Having someone to share this secret with. Someone who was so excited about it. Who truly accepted his true self.

Ornstein suddenly remembered what the master had said earlier. That Ornstein hadn't been the only one who had his secrets.

"Master... now that you know my secret, what is yours?"

The master came closer and bowed down to whisper in Ornstein's ear.

And what he heard, nearly made him faint.

"Even before I knew that you could turn into a drake... I was head over heels for you."

And as the master's face came closer to pull him into a kiss Ornstein didn't flinch anymore.

(Author's note: So, I had this idea for Ornstein being some kind of werdragon and that spawned this oneshot. Ornstein turns into the King of Storms, if it isn't obvious. I hope you enjoyed the story and if you liked it, consider leaving me a comment. Thank you very much!)


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